Saturday, February 06, 2010

Subject: Public Hearing and Deadline for Public Comment on Major License Modification,The Dow Chemical Company, Michigan Operations, Midland Plant

Written comments are being accepted until April 5, 2010 on a major modification of the hazardous waste management facility operating license (License) that was issued to The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Michigan Operations, Midland Plant, in June 2003 pursuant to Part 111, Hazardous Waste Management, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended. The License modification is being proposed to fulfill the requirements of paragraph 47 of the Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent for Remedial Investigation, Feasibility Study and/or Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis, and Response Design, CERCLA Docket No. V-W-10-C-942 (AOC) for the Tittabawassee River/Saginaw River and Bay “Site.” The AOC was entered into by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ, now the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment [MDNRE]), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), and Dow on January 14, 2010, with an effective date of January 21, 2010.

The MDNRE will hold a public hearing on the draft Dow major License modification from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 11, 2010, at Saginaw Valley State University, Curtiss Hall, Seminar Room G, 7400 Bay Road, Saginaw, Michigan. Written comments must be submitted by April 5, 2010, to Cheryl Howe at howec@michigan.gov or the address below.

If you are also on the U.S. EPA listserve or the U.S. EPA or MDNRE mailing lists, you may have received or will receive a similar notice. Please share this notice with others who might be interested in attending this public hearing or commenting on the draft major License modification. If you have any questions, need further information, or would like to have your e-mail address removed from this distribution list, please contact me.

Friday, December 11, 2009

We are sure that most of you are following the action on the current health care legislation in the Senate. You have been relentless in your support of our efforts to kill this bill! We are making a difference. But please do not get lax, do not become complacent. The big announcement of "no public option" could very well be one more ploy by the liberals running the Senate to keep this thing alive and get the votes they need to pass this debacle. They will then change what needs to be changed to fit what they would like to see in this bill.

We the People of Mid-Michigan are asking you today to make one more phone call, send one more email, and write and deliver one more fax. Along with your personal objections, you may want to mention the following in your phone call or email/fax:

There also appears to be verbiage regarding access to your personal bank account for immediate, direct payment any time medical attention is sought. This is also a huge concern when you think of the federal government having access to your money (the little bit that we will have left)!

Below are the contacts for our Michigan senators. You can also go to www.senate.gov to contact any other senators that you feel may be effective.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

I sure wish these notices would all come in a more timely fashion. I get these via email... and just got this one.

November 3, 2009Greetings, Fellow Patriots!Much apologies for the short notice. But if you were looking for a way to get to DC this week, ourfantastic event coordinators have done it again! If you cannot go, this isvery much understood, but please plan to make phone calls and faxes to yourcongress people and representatives.

We the People of Mid-Michigan are heading to D.C. - AGAIN!! Rep. Michele Bachmann from Minnesota is requesting that any and all Americans that are available please join her on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at NOON on Thursday, Nov. 5 in order to kill the bill!!!

We have a bus leaving Midland at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. It will stop for breakfastaround 8 a.m. You will arrive in downtown D.C. and head to the Capitol building.Rep. Bachmann will instruct everyone how to get to see your representative(s).The bus will be parked all day at Union Station. When you have accomplished yourmission, you can return to Union Station and have dinner there. There are avariety of restaurants to choose from. Cost for the bus is $100.

We will leave from Valley Plaza again and also pick up in Fenton at the K-Mart. Pleasepark behind the hotel just like last time. The bus will load back there too. IFwe hear back that this option is not available, we will alert you to the newlocation via email or phone.

WE NEED TO KNOW BY TUESDAY EVENING IF WE HAVE 48PEOPLE GOING TO D.C. IF WE DON’T HAVE 48 BY 10 p.m. TUESDAY, THE BUS WILL BECANCELLED!!! PLEASE DECIDE TODAY, CONTACT US VIA THE WEBSITE TO MAKE PAYMENTARRANGEMENTS!

We will need to know how many are in their party, and request thatyou provide a contact phone number and address. Participants planning to go onthis trip, must bring there money on the night we leave.THIS IS OUR FINAL ATTEMPT TO KILL THIS HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Subject:REMINDER - EPA/DEQ Meetings at Saginaw Valley State University on November 5, 2009

From 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2009, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will hold a public availability session at Saginaw Valley State University, Curtiss Hall, Banquet Room C, 7400 Bay Road, Saginaw, to provide an update on The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) corrective action work that has been ongoing over the summer and fall.

This will immediately precede the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) 7:00 p.m. public meeting in Curtiss Hall, Banquet Rooms A&B, about the proposed settlement negotiated with Dow by the U.S. EPA and DEQ for cleanup of the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw River and Bay. Topics for the DEQ public availability session will include:· Reach B and Reach D Sediment Cleanup and Capping· Historic Outfall Investigation (H-12)· Bank Stabilization Pilot Projects· Update on the City of Midland Soil Investigation Process

There will be a short presentation on each of the four topics followed by some time to ask questions. DEQ staff will be available to answer questions on other issues at the end of the public availability session, if time permits, and after the U.S. EPA meeting.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Since these are actually 2 jpg files of a document, it is easier to read if you click on the picture to get a bigger version.This group is working hard to keep our American way of life alive. You can get their newsletter emailed directly to you by going to their website at:

Sunday, September 13, 2009

He just quoted the President in an interview to be aired this evening on 60 Minutes:

'The truth of the matter is.... that, uh, there has been, I think a coarsening of our political dialogue. I will also say that in the era of 24 hour news cycles, that the loudest shrillest voices get the most attention.'

Mr President, i just want to respond... WE, the Silent Majority, are silent no more! We learned from the best, your very own political and environmental extremist activists!!!

An example is the little local group here in mid-Michigan, known as 'The Lonetree Counsel' who claim to represent ALL of us in the area!!! Hahaha... the lie!

That little group, who have associated themselves with other private interest extremist groups, really showed their anger when I, one of the previously silent majority, spoke at a public 'Town Hall' meeting held by Dow Chemical and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday, June 28, 2005.

One of their pack said... 'shut up Shirley'.... and like one continuous roll across the room, their buddies chimed in...

THAT was the day when I knew that i, as one small grain of sand, had irritated the oyster of extremism! In the four years following that instant i am proud to be here and observe the pearl of dissent growing from my generation, known for our silence. Now that we are 'senior' adults; now that we have raised our own families; now that we are retired.... NOW we are no longer silent!!!

...and Mr. President, many of us were pleased to see you become President. Mr. President, we wanted to believe you.

... and, Mr. President, now that we are speaking up, you call it ...'a coarsening of our political dialogue.'

Friday, August 28, 2009

Here's why! It's still all about saving my backyard... except the purpose has grown to include... Saving My Country!!! I'm not sure which scares me most - Nancy Pelosi and her gang of 'do-gooders' or Obama and his hand-picked bunch of socialist and self-avowed Communist advisors!!!

I'm scared to death of a President and Congress who are making changes in our country as fast as they can, without regard for what WE want! The latest proposed change scares me the most - government controlled health care.

The 'silent majority' is speaking up all over our United States... for the very same reason! It is time for us to speak out too!

Interested in getting involved? I did some searching today and here are a few places to get started:

We The People of Mid-Michigan - a new site i just discovered today... holds promise but i find it a bit difficult to read because of the color (faded out dark blue)... and they include .pdf's on the page, which are cut off on the right side because of space needs. I suggest they resize the .pdf's prior to including them on a page.

It would appear that the Republican party as an organization, is not doing so well, as many of us are disappointed in all politicians in general..... for a variety of reasons i don't care to discuss.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

What you are NOT reading in that article - Fox News showed a clip of this meeting where Jim Moran asked one of the dissident attendees for his identification before letting him ask his question.

This Democratic political reign continues to prove what I have always believed. The leaders in the Democratic party believe that WE are too dumb to think for ourselves. THEY know it all!!! Hasn't anybody other than myself ever noticed how Obama (despite his height) holds his head so high he has to look DOWN at us all?

If we disagree with the Democratic ELITE, it's because we are misinformed... or we are being paid to tell them we disagree.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

...the President of the United States making statements that are not true! Please read this:

Statement from the American College of Surgeons.This President just loves being on television. He just loves being in the public eye. I watch him every time I'm aware he will be making public statements. Half the time he makes statements; sometimes he makes corrections to statements, but not always. Apparently he corrects what he says when it is convenient.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

What have i been doing lately? ...enjoying life...my garden...my friends and neighbors...and..... did i mention, enjoying life?

I even quit reading the Saginaw News. I can get all the misinformation necessary through the local misguided television stations and friends like the one that told me about the following article on the internet at MLive.

__________________________________________White House "snitch" program on health care reform is an outrageby Your Voices Wednesday August 12, 2009, 8:13 AMVoice: MaryBeth Rodriguez, Saginaw TownshipI recently found out about the government's "snitch" program -- flag@whitehouse.gov -- and was furious. I sent an e-mail "snitching" on myself and thought it would be something to put in the opinion section. I know I cannot be the only one who feels this way. We should all be outraged!

I'm sadly writing this e-mail. I cannot believe that the day has come when I wake up in the morning and have to remind myself where I am living, because more and more it seems like it's Russia and not the United States of America.

I am sick about the idea of this flag@whitehouse.gov. Who do you people think you are? I thought it was my right as an American citizen to speak up for or against issues. The American president is rallying people against me; me, an ordinary citizen -- a mom, a wife, a person who pays taxes and lives in a nice suburban neighborhood. I'm not part of an angry mob, I'm not someone who is planted at a town hall meeting to make trouble.

I have called my senator to find out when her town hall meeting will be, because I want her to know that I want the government to stop spending money. It is a very legitimate concern. How dare this administration portray legitimate concern and my constitutional rights as "dangerous" and as the Republicans just trying to get back? I'm disgusted with this whole thing.My purpose for this message is to "snitch" on myself for "fishy" behavior. I don't agree with what is happening in Washington.__________________________________________

Posted by freedomforus on 08/12/09 at 9:11AMMaryBeth, Its great to hear you speak out!!!!! Its going to take years to turn this all around. We all have to stay engaged, educate as many people as possible and get these bums voted out of office. Kildee has got to go in 2010. Obama and Stabenow in 2012, and Levin in 2014. United we stand, divided we fall.--------------------------------------Posted by SRVRon on 08/12/09 at 11:27AMWelcome to the New World Order.--------------------------------------Posted by kidsrgone on 08/12/09 at 1:48PMInthenaw, did you skip your meds today?--------------------------------------Posted by antisoc on 08/12/09 at 2:16PMMarybeth is right. inthenaw is wrong and everyone should ignore his maniacal laughter. I doubt too, that if this bill is passed without major amendments he/she won't be so prone to laughter.--------------------------------------Posted by advancenot on 08/12/09 at 3:05PMDespite the paranoia running rampant throughout the right wing pundits and the following sheeple, it is not a snitch. The White House is interested in learning what kinds of misinformation is being propogated so they can address it as quickly as possible. So MaryBeth, I hope you did report this government "snitch" program because that is another bit of misinformation. The rest of you (except for SRVRon, because he uses an actual name in his alias) can rest assure because you do not have the courage to stand up for your ideas, don't have to worry about being ratted out.--------------------------------------Posted by freedomforus on 08/12/09 at 4:03PMLooking at the polls on health care, which shows support dropping faster then "Bill Clinton's pants when he was in the White House" you have to wonder:If Odumba and his parasites in congress proceed and ram this down our throats the "HAHAHAHAHA" just might be on them come 2010 and 2012. Oh and no paranoia here, just good ole fashion Patriotism. Thanks again to MaryBeth, you are certainly a Patriot.--------------------------------------Posted by dmbierlein on 08/12/09 at 4:39PMfreedomforus : Would help if you started backing up your statements with facts: how about this poll? . Or this one.And here's one specifically addressing the poll on "Obama's handling of healthcare reform"--------------------------------------Posted by freedomforus on 08/12/09 at 6:39PMdmbierlein: I use Rasussen, check it out. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics which shows only 42% now favor Odumba's health care plan compared to 53% that OPPOSE it. But what YOU dmbierlein should be asking is that President Odumba offer a health care plan that the majority of the American people want!!!! Then he should back up that plan by saying that he and his wife and kids along with every single other government employee will have the same health care.Not only would that show true leadership, but this arguement on healthcare would be over!!--------------------------------------Posted by dmbierlein on 08/12/09 at 8:09PMRasmussen is the favorite polling organization for the conservative. I have no problem using them as a source, as long as it is understood who the client is that is using the poll. You certainly would be suspect if I used Center for American Progress as my sole source for polling data.I would also be one that was dissatisfied with "Obama's handling of healthcare reform". I think he has been way too passive. But you can see by previous posts, I have no problem with the idea of government health insurance.--------------------------------------Posted by freedomforus on 08/12/09 at 8:52PMI personally don't want anything to do with governement ran health care. I have absolutely no faith in governments ability to run anything! All we can do dmbierlein is agree to disagree.--------------------------------------Posted by JustinOLady on 08/13/09 at 8:40AMinthenaw... Most of us do not listen to 'Limbaugh, Hannity and their ilk'.advancenot... The definition of MISINFORMATION is: anything the current Administration does not want us to believe.

freedomforus... YES!!! Each and all of us should not ask but DEMAND that 'President Odumba offer a health care plan that the majority of the American people want!!!! Then he should back up that plan by saying that he and his wife and kids along with every single other government employee will have the same health care.'

NOW, in my own words... Those 'town hall meetings' remind me of a 'townhall' meeting I attended right here in Saginaw where a group of misguided environmentalist extremists told a woman (a member of the Tittabawassee River Voice) to 'shut up'... in unison... simply because she was strong enough to stand up and speak in opposition to their misguided 'facts.' THAT, my friends, is what true pack mentality is!

Unfortunately, it is that same pack mentality that put us in this predicament because Obama's handlers milked the fact that he is non-white (?), educated, and bold.

Thank God the 'silent majority' is finally no longer silent!!!... andGod bless America!--------------------------------------Posted by freedomforus on 08/13/09 at 11:27AMTo all: I received the standard bull crap form letter from the White House senior adviser David Axelrod requesting our concerns on health care and other matters. I would like to share with you my response and urge all of you to email them with your concerns.www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheckTO ALL YOU POLITICAL PARASITES FROM THE PRESIDENT ON DOWN:Here's the problem! As a hard working, tax paying, honest, law abiding citizen of the United States of America I don't trust you cheating bastard politicians with baby sitting a Barbie doll let alone taking over our health care. Every single thing you people get involved in goes broke. The only thing that keeps you people going is the profound ignorance of the majority of the American people. If they ever "wise up" you intellectual idiots won't be able to find a job flipping hamburgers at a cheap hamburger joint. In the future I will do everything possible to educate people on your consistent failures.END###

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Okay... i always google what i have to say just to see how correct my definition might really be. For what it's worth, the Wikipedia definition is in dispute. That, of course, does NOT mean my definition is wrong!!!

Sherle's quicky definition of academic elite: folks with book-learnin' and no common sense.

Wikipedia's definition of academic elite:

Academic elitism is a charge sometimes levied at academic institutions and academics more broadly; use of the term "ivory tower" often carries with it animplicit critique of academic elitism. Anti-intellectuals often perceive themselves as champions of ordinary people and populism against elitism, especially academic elitism. These critics argue that highly educated people form an isolated social group and tend to dominate political discourse in higher education (academia). Another criticism is that universities tend more to pseudo-intellectualism than intellectualism per se; for example, to protect their positions and prestige, academics may over-complicate problems and express them in obscure language -- things a true intellectual would avoid.

The Environmental Protection Agencysaid Monday it has notified Dow that an offer from the company earlier this yearis good enough for talks to continue. Talks stopped in March, shortly after LisaJackson became EPA chief.

Discussions are to resume in mid-July andcontinue at least until Aug. 25. They could last longer if there's progress.

Officials say they hope talks pave the way for a comprehensive cleanupof a 50-mile-long watershed including portions of the Tittabawassee and SaginawRivers, as well as Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay.

Dow Chemical dealing with the EPA is 'small potatoes ' compared to what the current government is doing to our country!!!It does not appear to be a democracy anymore... but a dictatorship by the 'academic elite.'God bless the USA...

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Dealing With Vendors & Manufacturers......is never easy, but let me tell you: I am convinced that one gets LESS attention as a female, even lesser that that as a female over age 65!!!

i own a Hewlett Packard laptop computer with 17" screen; paid $999 for it in August 2007. Bought a few other items, including an extended warranty on the laptop. The vendor was Best Buy. You've heard of that company before, haven't you? Same with Hewlett Packard.

These are both respectable companies, right? HAH!!!

Today i still do not have a reliable laptop computer! It is sitting in somebody's workshop somewhere (maybe in the United States, but with all the outsourcing going on, who knows?) That piece of garbage has literally been in the shop more than in my house since i bought it.

From day one i've had problems with it. Mostly it would lock up and i couldn't get anywhere with it. Had to push the button to turn it off.

Here's the litany of problems:

Two 'fried' hard drives were replaced.

Frequent lock-ups when i had several applications open at the same time. When i took it to BestBuy they told me there was nothing wrong with it & sent me home with my problems.

Vibrations & loud noises led me to believe i had a fan problem. Took it in & they replaced the fan.

Two weeks ago it would not recognize my wireless connection. i knew it was the laptop because two other computers in the house had no problems whatsoever getting online through my wireless connection. After a couple of rebooting experiences, i could not even turn the thing ON!!!

Lemon policy does not apply because my second problem was not, in Best Buy's opinion, a problem.

Yesterday i wasted a good share of my day trying to reason with the unreasonable. Talked with BestBuy customer relations (hahahaha) for a half hour to learn number 5 above.

Then i talked with a HewlettPackard representative who informed me that they would have replaced it for me if i'd complained to them during the first year... since that's how long the company warranty applies. Again hahahahaha! i don't believe him.

Then he told me there have been a small number of that model computers with the same problems. For that reason they have a 'special warranty' lasting until the end of July 2009. He will send me a pre-addressed box & if i can get the computer back from BB & send it to HP, they will replace my computer with a new motherboard... which he said is the problem.

Get it back from HP? hahahahahahahaha! Impossible!!! It's 'in the shop' & i can't have it back until it's fixed.

What did i learn?

Do NOT buy Hewlett Packard products.

Do NOT shop at BestBuy.

The 'Geek Squad' doesn't even know the difference between a product number and a model number!

Today i phoned a local hospital laboratory where i had my last mammogram. I am personally responsible for a couple hundred dollars out of MY pocket because Medicare will not pay for it. Even though i know it's a matter of negligence on the part of somebody in an office... incorrectly inputting a meaningful code, it is MY responsibility to negotiate directly with Medicare! I choose to wait until after the Independence Day holiday to argue with them!

I didn't even choose Medicare as my primary insurer. It automatically became my primary insurer when i turned age 65. Thanks to federal government. hahahahahahahaha....... Hey you guys with the white coats.... come & get me! I'm ready!!!!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Want to share the following notice from Cheryl Howe, Environmental Engineering Specialist, MDEQ. Be aware of meeting location change.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is hosting the next quarterly Midland/Saginaw/Bay City (Tri-Cities) Dioxin Community Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, in Lecture Theater G160 at Delta College, 1961 Delta Road, University Center. Please note the new location for this meeting. Agency staff will be available one-half hour before the meeting and one-half hour after the formal portion of the meeting for individual discussion with the public.

Friday, January 30, 2009

This is the boy i married... the summer before we married in 1955. The playground equipment he is posing on is on the beach at Bay City State Park. Children in the back are playing in the water... and they are not being sucked into the earth by muck.

Obviously this is before MDEQ and all of the rules about 'the care and preservation of wetlands.' The DNR was doing a very good job of upkeep.

To the right is that same beach in July 2004! After walking around, we were able to find the path. See? It's in the middle there! We chose not to actually walk to the waterfront only because that was the summer before my total knee replacement surgery and osteoarthritis was making it difficult for me to walk long distances without resting.

This last photo is the man i married 49 years later, winter of 2004/05... just prior to my surgery and we had no idea at the time but it was also his last winter. We went to take photos of fishermen out on the ice. Once again we were no longer near the waterfront... not realizing how sturdy the might phragmite stands!

I felt obligated to share these pics today because it is the day i celebrate the birth of that boy i married. He would be 74 years old today.

obamacare?

We are citizens formerly known as 'the silent majority.' We dispute the belief that environmental extremist organizations represent our interests... especially in the case of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and their entourage of environmental extremists. Working in tandem with Midland Matters, our goal is to regain and protect property owners rights in Michigan.

pack attack

Lest We Forget
Freedom Of Speech!
Tuesday, June 28, 2005

terÂ·rorÂ·ism - The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.extremism - any political theory favoring immoderate uncompromising policies.
An environmental extremist gains a following by psychologically creating fear and intimidation in the hearts of the general public (often referred to in academia as 'the masses.') Another characteristic is an unbending unwillingness for any sort of compromise.
The intent is to 'convince' society and government for ideological reasons.